Are we a product of our biology and genetics or do we learn to be the people we are? For urban survivalists, this debate is a very important one. At Zenshin™, LLC we teach the Psychology of Combat so that students can use how their opponents think in order to prevail against them.

The research in the fields of Criminology and Victimology generally view the actions of both the criminal and victim as learned responses to outside stimuli. We know through experience that these reactions to stimuli are fluid and change based on what feedback the criminal and victim receive from each other. At Zenshin™, LLC we teach our students what those learned cues are in both the aggressor and the potential victim so we can then prepare them to either avoid an aggressor or successfully prepare to engage them.

This is why the Nature vs Nurture issue is important to urban survival.

What if we were predisposed to be a criminal or victim? Can someone biologically predisposed to being a criminal, unlearn it? If we know that a person is biologically predisposed to be a criminal, can we take measures to avoid or successfully engage them early on?

There is some interesting new research on this topic. This research uses babies to ascertain if they are born with a sense of morality or is it learned. Since criminals are considered to be amoral, this is some very interesting and handy stuff. Check out the video below.

Hurricane Sandy was devastating to the Northeast United States. It is estimated that the cost of this storm will be in the billions. This includes not only the cost of rebuilding homes but also lost revenue for businesses. What was surprising to many businesses owners/executives was although they had contingency plans in the event they could no longer use their primary physical space and even their information systems, they did not have a plan to ensure their workforce, their Human Capital, survived and could get back to work when their businesses were ready. This is one of the major reasons for the loss in revenue.

Employees also looked at their employers for help when they were in crisis. Many were disappointed.

What we have learned over the years at Zenshin, LLC is that individual urban survival training is only one component of a complete urban survival plan. Unlike my survivalist colleagues who live off the land, we urbanites need our employers so we can have the necessary means to buy what we need.

If you own a business or are an executive in a business, consider taking a fresh look at your crisis plan (if you don’t have one, you should prepare one). Assess whether your crisis plan’s human capital component is sufficient for communicating with and assisting employees so you can reestablish business operations as soon as possible.

Ensuring your employees are safe during a crisis establishes that your company cares for its employees, therefore promoting loyalty and, as a bonus, it also gets your business back in business quicker.